FALSE TELEGRAM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 99, 7 February 1936, Page 6

FALSE TELEGRAM

MAN’S SUSPICION OF WIFE. MESSAGE TO “THE OTHER MAN.” SENTENCE IF CALLED UPON. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A man who signed his wife’s name to a telegram which he dispatched to a man in Dunedin with whom bethought she was friendly, was charged before Mr Levvey, S.M., with sending a false telegram. Accused, whose name was suppressed, pleaded guilty. Cliief-Detective Dunlop said that accused and his wife lived apart. In December last a man in Dunedin received a telegram purporting to have been sent by accused’s wife. The telegram requested that correspondence be sent to a certain box in Christchurch, but before sending any correspondence to the address the man became suspicious and telegraphed the woman to ascertain if the telegram was genuine. It was found that the message was not genuine. Accused, when interviewed by the police, admitted that he had had no authority to send the telegram. There was no doubt there were circumstances which made accused think he was justified in his action. Counsel said that the parties had lived in Dunedin. The husband suspected his wife of carrying on with another man who was ‘'cutting a dash” in that city. As a result of striking the other man the husband lost his job. He came to Christchurch, and eventually conceived the idea of sending a telegram to discover if correspondence were passing. The Dunedin man’s inability to maintain his position had. since been discovered, for he had been arrested and was to be charged with defalcations amounting to £2300. In ordering the man to come up for Sentence within six months if called upon, the Magistrate said the offence was regarded seriously, but in the particular case accused himself had suffered the greatest injury.